case-study-Surfrider-OFG
CUWCC Public Information Case Study
Category – Adult Education/Training
Title - Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Gardens Program
Summary paragraph: Surfrider Foundation partners with West Basin Municipal Water District (West Basin) to educate, train, and motivate property owners and landscape professionals to apply Surfrider’s principles of CPR – Conservation, Permeability and Retention – to landscapes in order to revive watersheds and oceans. Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Gardens (OFG) Program series includes: Basics Classes, Hands on Workshops (HOWs), and Volunteer Days. The OFG Program was applied in creating an Ocean Friendly Demonstration Garden at the Lawndale Public Library. Work on the garden was funded largely through grants, in-kind donations, and volunteer labor. Surfrider’s OFG Program uses social marketing principles to shift participants’ thinking about what constitutes desirable landscaping and influence their neighbors to spark a movement.
Body: The Surfrider OFG Program addresses two interrelated environmental issues: (1) up to 70% of the potable water used in residences is used outdoors, primarily to irrigate landscapes; and (2) urban runoff is the primary source of ocean pollution. The program offers a series of experiences that permits participants to “plug in” at any time and receive hands-on, peer-to-peer, in-field training in applying sustainable landscape practices to their own property. The program was designed this way because people surveyed in the community indicated that they wanted to practice on someone else’s property before embarking on changes to their own.
The Lawndale Library OFG Series began with a Basics Class held in the library and ended with the completion of the community-built Ocean Friendly Garden four months later. The OFG Series for homeowners is supported by professional training of local landscape professionals by The Green Gardens Group (G3), whose associates are qualified to teach classes, lead workshops, and design demonstration gardens in their own communities.
G3 designed the Lawndale OFG as an attractive, useful, residential-style landscape that demonstrates these sustainable practices:
· Conserving potable water;
· Planting local native and edible plants successfully;
· Reducing polluted stormwater runoff;
· Eliminating dry-weather runoff;
· Restoring healthy, living soil;
· Engaging the community as an ongoing resource for installation and maintenance of the property;
· Teaching community members about garden and landscape stewardship through hands-on experiences.
Marketing for the project leveraged the enthusiasm brought by community and non-profit organizations that were already involved with the library. Tactics included:
· Posting large signs and handing out flyers at the library;
· Distributing information about the upcoming events at local high schools;
· Staffing tables at local farmers’ markets;
· Presenting plans to the Lawndale City Council, narrated by students involved with the project;
· Emailing event dates through the OFG electronic newsletter;
· Blogging about the events on the OFG website;
· Announcing the Lawndale events during other classes and events;
· Enlisting Teen Friends of the Library to maintain the garden.
In addition, West Basin announced the Basics Class by distributing doorhangers and emailing people from an environmental database maintained by the South Bay Environmental Services Center.
The objective was to create a word-of-mouth campaign fueled by excitement generated at each event. The series was designed to appeal to homeowners who were looking for “do-it-yourself” opportunities or to communicate confidently with a professional they hire. At each workshop, the dates of follow-up events were announced and participants were encouraged to “tell their friends” and “bring a neighbor.” During the campaign, the Lawndale Library featured books and materials on ocean friendly gardening, sustainable landscaping, and native plants.
Series Results:
· Attendance
o 2/13/10 – Basics Class: 58 attendees
o 2/20/10 – HOW 1- Site Evaluation: 47 attendees
o 2/27/20 – Volunteer Day: Garden Layout and Turf Removal: 27 attendees
o 3/13/10 – HOW 2 - Planting and Irrigation: 33 attendees
o 3/20/10 – HOW 3 - Maintenance and Weather Based Irrigation Controllers (WBIC): 35 attendees
· Completed the 1,300 sq. ft. Lawndale OFG Demonstration Garden;
· Reduced on-site potable water use by 81%, from 76,000 gallons per year to 14,000;
· Virtually eliminated runoff from the adjacent building into the parking lot;
· Provided a beautiful example of local native plants selected for their ability to thrive in the heavy, alkaline, salty, adobe clay soils typical of much of the Dominguez watershed area around Lawndale;
· Sparked three more OFG series and demonstration gardens in three surrounding communities, including another local library.
Budget:
The budget for a typical OFG series of one Basics Class, one HOW (Site Evaluation), and one Volunteer Day is $5,000. Each additional workshop is $1,250 per event. West Basin and Surfrider funded the first $5,000 for the Lawndale Library project through a state grant. The budget for the additional workshops, professional design, installation, and materials totaled $22,740. Half of this, or $11,370, was provided by a Parkway Runoff Reduction Matching Grant from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The remainder was provided by local sponsors, in-kind donations, and volunteer labor.
Contact:
Paul Herzog, National Coordinator
Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Gardens Program
2554 Lincoln Blvd., #758, Venice, CA 90291
(310) 439-2500 (office) or (310) 430-9760 (cell)
www.oceanfriendlygardens.org
Pamela Berstler, Managing Member
G3, Green Gardens Group
2228 Venice Blvd, Suite 540, Los Angeles, CA 90066-3814
310-694-8351
www.greengardensgroup.com
Agencies:
West Basin Municipal Water District provides drinking and recycled water to its 185-square mile service area. West Basin purchases imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) and wholesales the imported water to cities and private companies in southwest Los Angeles County. West Basin is a recognized leader in the production of recycled water and its conservation and education programs are fundamental to West Basin's diverse water portfolio. To protect the local groundwater basin from seawater intrusion, West Basin provides water for injection into the South Bay's seawater barriers.
Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves, and beaches. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 50,000 members and 90 chapters worldwide.
Photos:
1. Senior Librarian, Melissa McCollum (left), discusses the poster she created for the Lawndale Library’s entrance describing the workshops and workday with Marilee Kuhlmann of G3 (center) and Paul Herzog of Surfrider Foundation (right).
2. A flyer created by the Lawndale senior librarian recognized project sponsors.
3. G3’s Pamela Berstler teaches the OFG Basics Class, an interactive module where attendees learn about Conservation, Permeability and Retention (CPR).
4. During the Hands-on Workshop (HOW), attendees install native plants and drip irrigation after G3 professionals demonstrate proper techniques.
5. G3 professionals demonstrate proper tree staking, application of compost tea, best management practices for stormwater, and how to program a weather-based irrigation controller.
6. The beautiful, water-conserving and run-off preventing garden includes vegetables and fruit and is maintained by Teen Friends of the Library.